“I’m not lying. I’m buying you dinner. Besides, my mother will be picking me up at the station. I’ll introduce you.” Leah was not too pleased with Kaze’s nonchalant attitude. She did not want him to think that she was lying. Instead of responding to her, Kaze quietly ate the food. It was a shame to let this food go to waste. Kaze was not keen on the taste. However, he was not the type to waste unless the food was rotten. The pair found themselves in a rather bizarre situation. Kaze kept eating. Leah narrated her sad love story. They were busy doing their own thing. Yet, they sat together in perfect harmony. Snow was worried about Kaze traveling alone. However, she would not be there for him. She got in touch with Alfonso, who was in Butterworth, and informed him of Kaze’s train details. Though Kaze traveled alone to Butterworth discreetly, he would still need someone to meet him on the other side. Alfonso found his visit abrupt. He just reported to Kaze that Jet
Kaze wanted the whole thing to be over. At least, he did not want to leave with regrets. Without another word, Kaze walked ahead. Seeing that Kaze did not refuse, Leah dragged her suitcase to tag along. “When you meet my mother, you talk about the person you’re trying to locate. We can help you with tracking the person down. Of course, you can let us know anything else you need as well.” Leah was eager to help. “It’s okay. Let’s head out.” As the crowd slowly exited, Kaze extended his hand out to shield Leah. Kaze’s towering build and outstretched arm kept Leah securely by his side. Leah had a hard time dragging her large suitcase. Kaze’s protection gave her a sense of security and assurance. As the crowd elbowed past, Leah was safe from people bumping into her. Whenever Leah was out alone, she would always get pushed and shoved to the side. However, Leah could take her time because of Kaze’s protection. The wondrous feeling was growing on her. The journey qui
Perry simply left the business-class carriage to stay out of the limelight. Upon stepping off the train, Perry felt that Leah and Kaze were too close as they were having a laugh. Perry was furious. Leah should be his. They could only break up on his terms. Plus, Kaze humiliated Perry, so the only thing on Perry’s mind was to get back at him. “That cheating couple. They are already hooking up.” Perry stared at the pair grimacingly as rage took over. He would not let Leah off so easily. Whipping out his phone, Perry contacted a local street gang. Perry had a thing for racing cars. He came to know this gang through one of his hangouts and treated them once before. The gang mentioned that they would have Perry’s back whenever he needed help. Perry could get his revenge on Kaze through these people. After sorting everything out, Perry laughed with glee. He followed Leah and Kaze out of the station. Perry was not going to miss the drama. The thought of Kaze pleadi
Kaze did not offer any words of comfort after Leah poured her heart out. He did not echo her sentiment about her mother. He always seemed composed, never interfering too much or making judgments about anybody’s affairs.Leah found it odd that Kaze was different from the friends she knew.“Why are you so cool about it? Aren’t you curious about me and my mother?” Many people would pay close attention whenever Leah brought the subject up. They would ask a few curious questions. Though Leah felt uneasy talking about it, she loved the attention. Leah was expected to be independent, growing up. Despite keeping her grades up as her mother wished, Leah had few genuine friends. However, her complaints always got her a lot of attention from her friends. Leah thought this was the case with everybody. Now that she was ignored, she began to see the bigger picture. Perhaps these people approached her for a reason, and the reason did not come with the best of intentions. Leah was gr
“You don’t have to keep things inside. Just be direct. Since your mother doesn’t have time, just be straightforward with her, and speak your mind.” Kaze felt irritated, just waiting there. “When is your mother coming? Have you called her?” Once the girl was picked up by her mother, Kaze could leave. “I couldn’t get through to her, but I called her assistant. They are on the way.” It was common that Katie’s phone was unreachable. Leah did not feel too sad about it. She could get in touch with Katie’s assistant anyway. “At least she makes time to pick you up.” Kaze could tell that Leah was rebellious to get her mother’s attention. Hence, he said something to ease the tension between the mother and daughter. “Do you think so? She might be here to pick up a client. “I’m always the one to make compromises. I don’t believe that she’s coming all this way to pick me up.” Leah was skeptical of her mother’s commitment to her. “Just wait and see. If she is here just for yo
The tall man struck the bat on the ground multiple times, producing heavy clunks with each hit. His friends in front of him smirked with their arms crossed. “This girl is quite the looker but she’s not too bright.” “Yeah. She must be dumb to ditch a rich guy for a poor bastard.” Leah was nervous. She had always lived under her mother’s protection and had never experienced the wickedness of society before. She would visit the club with friends from time to time and had a few close encounters with conflicts but was never part of it due to the excessive protection. This would be her first time getting into trouble. The man seemed to be after her specifically. Yet when she heard the man’s friend, she realized something was off. “Who are you working for?” Understanding her mother’s influence and status in Butterworth, Leah gained the confidence to stand up once more. Even if the men were gangsters, they would have to be respectful to the Northborn Group and its CEO. Le
Kaze remained standing on the spot with his luggage, watching as the men approached him with a blank face. “Are you that useless? You push the girl forward to take all the heat? You are quite tall yourself, not that bad looking, but why are you that useless?” The tall man, Keeble, was surprised. As the situation unfolded, any man with a sense of humanity would step up to protect the girl—saving the damsel in distress. Yet Kaze remained unfazed, like a rock as if he was not part of the confrontation. Keeble and his men were notorious gangsters. Their fists could solve most problems quickly. Their swiftness and ruthlessness allowed them to make a name for themselves in the underworld. People would always come to them with requests similar to this and they could use it to make good money. Despite their experience in handling similar situations, this was the first time they had encountered such a setback. It was Perry’s order to deal with Kaze and use it to intimidate Leah,
It was exactly what Keeble wanted. First, verbal humiliation. Then, when Kaze ran out of patience, Keeble and his men would beat him up. Since they were close to a hospital, Kaze would survive the beating but it would be a lesson that he would carry for life. “My mother is the CEO of the Northborn Group. If you so much as touch him, I will make you pay.” Leah initially did not want to reveal her identity but she had no choice. Keeble and his men forced her with their intimidation. If she could not stop them, Kaze might be dragged into a whirlpool of trouble because of her. “This is none of your business. Why don’t you step aside and let us deal with him.” Keeble looked at Leah, surprised by her background. Whether or not she was telling the truth, he dared not mess with the Northborn Group and had decided to let her go. “He is my friend. If I walk, he walks; if you hurt him, I’ll call for help.” Leah noticed her words had power over Keeble. She tried to bring Kaze a
Arthur chuckled, his smile carrying a touch of sleaziness. “Oh, I see.” A realization dawned on Kaze. “Are you with quality control?” Several individuals in dark blue suits approached. The men and women carried files and documents. Kaze nodded without a word. “We are just here to announce the results. We shouldn’t be long.” Arthur came forward to engage with them. The group was likely given the heads-up as they had the right number of people. They swaggered into Rising Sun’s building. The general manager straightened up his tie in a fluster and walked out. None of the film productions made the cut yet, and the delay was costing the company money by the day. At this rate, the project would go down under. Eli, the general manager, rushed to the entrance upon learning the news. The review team was there to do one final check. The films would get the green light if the board found that everything was up to par. The head office would stop putting pressure on
Given Kaze’s status, Alfonso knew better than to have him waiting under the hot sun. Of course, he would send his people to be on standby for Kaze’s arrival. Peter only came to the rescue when Kaze was pestered by some street gang. Alfonso’s omission of Kaze’s identity led to this hiccup. Kaze did not care one bit about the incident. Heck, he did not even bring it up. Arthur straightened his back nervously, becoming even more cautious behind the wheel. “You knew, but why didn’t you say anything, Mr. Lee? You didn’t even tell on us.” Arthur could not understand why. However, he had more respect for the man. “I didn’t see a point. You’ll learn what happens when you displease me, so I won’t bother telling you now.” Kaze was mild-mannered as ever. He spoke softly without a hint of anger. All the more Arthur revered him. “Mr. Lee, we didn’t do our jobs right. We didn’t know who you were.“But my duty is to protect you in the dark. “We saw you getting out of the train
“Rising Sun is a media company. Several of their films are about to be released. They are trying to get them approved to air due to some censorship issues.” Arthur took out a document. “Are there any issues with the films? Why aren’t they approved yet?” Kaze asked curiously. Kaze had no idea. “There are some issues. They aren’t fit to be aired. “Typically, there aren’t a lot of restrictions for film productions so long as the themes aren’t sensitive topics. “But these films featured altered history. The company has been asked multiple times to make revisions, but the films still don’t make the cut.” The Viper’s Den’s members were not privy to the information. The Frosts were insignificant. Kaze was after the Frosts. Otherwise, the Viper’s Den would not waste its resources on a mere film production company. Jet’s investment of nearly ten million bucks in Rising Sun caught the Viper’s Den’s attention. The delayed approval of the films would be catastrophic to the in
“It’s quite a bustle even when it’s late at night.” Kaze looked down from above and saw the bright lights. A street in the distance was brightly lit with many people working into the night. “The majority of people would do many things to make a living.” Arthur rarely observed these sights. “Thank you. Keep me in the loop of any progress. I’m curious as to what you’d do.” Kaze did not see a need to get involved with the minor stuff. He delegated the tasks to his people. “If you have time, why don’t you go out and have a bit of fun, Mr. Lee?” Arthur asked. The reason for Kaze’s trip was to deal with Jet. Kaze would get some satisfaction from upsetting Jet. “I don’t want to attract attention.” The last thing Kaze wanted was to blow his cover. From Kaze’s question, Arthur knew that Kaze was interested. “No. We can give you a whole new identity.” Arthur knew what to do. “I’ll leave you to it, but don’t take it too far,” Kaze replied. Still, Kaze was intrigued a
Katie was narrow-minded to spit out the unpleasant things. Her words would never harm Kaze. Kaze took the private elevator back to the penthouse for a rest. He had more important things to do. He needed to keep tabs on the Frosts. Leah’s business was none of Kaze’s concern. Sure, Leah was in a state, being manipulated by her mother and all. However, it was a family matter at the end of the day. Kaze had no rhyme or reason to get involved. Kaze soon put the whole thing behind him. Arthur was already there at the penthouse. As Kaze entered the room, Arthur jolted up from the couch. “Mr. Lee, this is the document you requested. It should have detailed information to give you a clearer idea of the situation.” Arthur put the papers in front of Kaze and grabbed him a bottle of water. Feeling hot from his walk back, Kaze took a sip and held the document up for a look. “I got to give it to the Frosts. They sure work in the shadows.” Kaze grinned. A strong opponent p
“Despite everything I’ve said, you still won’t listen! Kaze is a liar! He befriended you with a motive. Yet, you trust him. He’s a good friend to you? What do you take me for?” Katie could not put up with her daughter’s defiance. Leah must obey her because that was what a good daughter would do. “I see you as my mother. What about you? Am I a daughter to you?” Leah did not want to ask such a distressing question. However, there was no way around it. She was escaping reality. Still, she had to swallow the truth, however cruel. “What are you talking about? I wouldn’t raise you if I didn’t consider you my daughter.” Katie worked hard to keep a level head. The last thing she wanted was the whole thing to blow up into a bigger fight. She had a lot to do for the upcoming party. There was no time to lose in keeping her daughter happy. Besides, Leah was no longer a child. Yet, she was so defiant and rebellious. “Why do you plan on giving me away if I’m supposed to be your d
Katie proudly made the statement, convinced that she had done a lot for her daughter. It was only right for Leah to be grateful and understand her sacrifice. To Katie’s surprise, Leah chuckled. “What else have you done for me? You never showed me any attention. You don’t know what I like. You have no idea what I want.” Leah finally saw her mother as the person she was. This side of Katie was terrifying. “What more do you want? Am I not supposed to work? Should I be spending every waking minute of the day with you?” Katie understood Leah’s needs. However, there was no way she could make it happen. It was not easy for a woman to take hold in the Northborn Group, much less secure a high position there. Katie went through great pains to get where she was today. Alas, Leah could not understand where she was coming from. “I’m not asking you to be with me every day. I’ve tried my best to do everything you asked of me, but you can’t even be there for me during my birthdays.
“Everything I do, I do for you. Get this straight. The guy approached you because of what I could bring to the table.” Katie was pissed by her daughter’s defiance which was becoming worse with age. “I know the kind of person he is. Without Kaze’s help, I wouldn’t have escaped. Where were you then? You’re in no position to say that. “Even if there’s something he’s after, what would he want from me? I have nothing to offer.” Leah did not believe a word Katie said. Clearly, Katie was out to get Kaze. “He’s nothing but a poor kid. Why are you blowing this out of proportion? I’ve clearly stated what needed to be done. Why are you still being stubborn?”Katie believed she had not raised her daughter right. Leah turned out pretty naïve. “I told you. He has no ulterior motive. He doesn’t know who I am. He doesn’t have any other intentions. I approached him, not the other way around.” Leah kicked herself for pulling a reckless stunt. All she did was give Kaze more problems. Kat
Leah hated her mother being unreasonable. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I fed you, I gave you clothes, I put a roof over your head, I gave you life! The least you could do is to listen to me!” Katie did not expect her daughter to go so far as to defy her. Kaze remained silent, knowing that no matter what he said, it would be meaningless to someone unwilling to listen. “Kaze, I’m sorry. It was my fault that you are in this mess. I’m a jinx…” Leah blamed herself for getting Kaze in trouble with her mother. If not because of her, he would never encounter her mother. “Shut it! Why are you apologizing!? He approached you with purpose and you can’t even see that? He’s not worthy of your time!” Katie was livid. She felt her daughter was blinded by emotions, incapable of making the right decision. And to make matters worse, the girl even apologized to Kaze—what nonsense! A poor man without any background was no match for her daughter and her status. He approached the girl becaus